Hamburger Potato Bake

I was digging around in the pantry trying to throw dinner together. This happened. It is delicious, inexpensive, easy to make and kid friendly. It is also a casserole.

Don’t be afraid. I know sometimes casseroles are mushy. Often, they are made up of cream of something soup or have hot, canned tuna in them. I am not down on you if you like any of those things, but many people do not. I cannot blame them. My Hamburger Potato Bake is nothing like that.

The trick to making sure that nothing is mushy is not to cook everything together. Potatoes take longer to cook than ground beef. If you cook them together the burger will be gray and mushy. Make your own cheese sauce. Or don’t. If you want to save time, just melt equal parts Cheez Whiz with milk. But don’t get angry and say my casserole wasn’t good.

 I use baby golden potatoes because they cook quickly, and you don’t need to peel them. I also use a mandoline to slice the potatoes because a) the potatoes cook evenly if they are sliced about the same thickness and b) I got a mandoline for Christmas and use it ALLLLL the time now.

Hamburger Potato Bake

Servings: 4-6

Time:  Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 50 minutes; (An hour if you are making your own cheese sauce); dinner in an hour

Hardware: Cutting board and large knife, measuring cups, a large bowl, a slotted spoon, and a 10-inch skillet that can be used in the oven. If you do not have an oven safe skillet, just transfer the pan drippings to a 9X9 inch glass baking dish and go from there.

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of bacon
• 4 ounces ( ¼ cup or one small) onion
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1-pound golden baby potatoes
• 1-9-ounce bag of frozen broccoli
• 1 cup of up of cheese sauce
• ½  cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400˚.  Slice the onion into rings and then slice the rings into quarters. Chop the bacon.
2. Heat the bacon and onions on medium high for 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the ground beef, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and cook and crumble until the beef is no longer pink. This usually takes me about 10 minutes.
3. While the beef is cooking, wash the potatoes. Slice them as thin as you can. Make sure to try to keep each slice the same thickness.
4. Using the slotted spoon, remove the onions, the bacon and the beef from the pan and into the bowl. Do not drain the pan. Add the potatoes to the pan and make sure that they are covered in the pan drippings. Lightly salt and pepper them. Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake until the potatoes are tender. This should take 25-30 minutes.
5. While the potatoes are cooking, follow the directions on the package, and microwave the broccoli for about 30 seconds less than recommended.
6. When the potatoes are easily pierced with a  fork, fold the meat mixture, broccoli and cheese sauce into the potatoes. Be careful, you don't want to tear the potatoes. Top with the shredded cheese and return to the oven and roast until the cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown, probably 5-7 minutes.
7. Serve right away.